War Is Never Pretty

Summary: Merideth was not fond of war. Being a nurse meant being in the midst of the horror. She thought nothing could brighten her world. That was before she met Captain James Nicholls, and it was changed.

Chapter 1

Merideth woke from another terrible dream. Another glimpse of war hidden in her mind, repressed.

Another reminder of the carnage surrounding her. The war was going nowhere.

She moved from the cot she slept in, as a nurse in the British Army. She tried proud of what she did, saving -and sometimes salvaging- injured men's lives. She was an unusually skilled healer (or so she had been told). But in truth it was a nightmare.

They were calling it a World War. The War to End All Wars. If only it would end sooner…

The only rewarding part of her job was the moment when a soldier thanked her for saving them from the brink of death. The look in their eyes when their pain is eased, even momentarily. The small joy of watching her patient, who had been brought in battered, bloodied, and unconscious, walk out with a smile on his face.

The worst part was watching them march off to battle, knowing without a doubt that there would be so many that come back to have to be cared for by her. Or even not come back at all.

It was for that reason that she tried not to get attached to anyone; to stay disconnected. It was the only way she could handle all the blood and death. Anything worse she feared would break her. And breaking was something Merideth could not do.

She was currently stationed somewhere relatively safe. Officers came and went, checking on their injured. They gave her looks varying from gratitude to despair.

There had been less casualties from the past battle than expected, thanks to her. Many of the other nurses came to Merideth for help when they were unsure of what to do. Her mother had been an apothecary, and so she had more knowledge of medicine and healing than most.

And yet there was another battle fast approaching. Men were already preparing to march. There was nothing left for Merideth to do but pray.

When the day came to leave, she could practically taste the fear and anxiety in the air. No one truly knew what they were marching into, both literally and figuratively.

The nurses and others who stayed behind heard nothing of the soldiers until they practically staggered back into camp. It was awful.

Merideth had of course seen her share of injuries, but this was overwhelming. The waiting soldiers were everywhere, and she had enough potentially fatal wounds to quickly deplete her supplies of medicine. Blood was splashed across the floor.

One particularly bad case took all her medical expertise to even stabilize. The next morning, when the soldier woke up, Merideth was sitting beside him. He stared up at her, wanting to ask how severe his wounds were but afraid to hear the answer.

She looked up at his face. "You're lucky to be alive, Soldier."

He chuckled lightly. "Thank you. The name's Timothy Omer. But people just call me Tim."

She smiled. "Alright, then." She moved to replace the wet cloth on his forehead.

"You are lucky to be alive," She put the new one on with a flourish and smiled down at him, "Tim."

He grinned, the ominous mood put off for a moment.

A man, in full uniform and obviously an officer, appeared at the foot of Tim's bed.

Tim noticed him first, face brightening. "Captain Nicholls."

Merideth had seen him before, in and around camp. And especially in the hospital, visiting patients. If one of his soldiers was injured, he was there to make sure they were taken care of. Very few officers had that level of compassion and dedication to their men. She had certainly taken notice of him.

And now she had one of his soldiers.

He smiled. "Hello, Tim. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, Sir."

"Good. I had heard from the other nurses that you were an especially close call."

Merideth stood and looked to the officer. "That is certainly not an exaggeration, sir."

The Captain turned to address her. "I believe I have you to thank for my soldier's life. What's your name, miss?"

"Merideth, Sir."

He grimaced slightly, then looked up at her sheepishly. "James, please. I hate "sir." It makes me sound so old."

Merideth let out a clear, joyful burst of laughter.

Both men turned to her in surprise. For a woman in her line of work, laughter was scarce. She noticed their stares quickly.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you don't hear anything very funny around here." She looked away, blushing.

Alkira Joan:
Great story, I found it hard to read especially the dialogue. You just need to fix up some spelling errors and the gramma .I enjoyed this book. was a little hard to get though.,.,..,.,.,,..,.,.,, , , , ,.,, , , , , , , ,., , ,.,,,,,

OpheliaJones:
This story took a different kind of spin on the "normal girl lives with definitely not normal guy" plot. The plot points of Frey's father, Liam's family, and Frey's view of Liam's world were good to read. She did not fall in love with him in the first couple weeks. Their lives were not smooth in ...

ernbelle:
When I first started this story I was a little unsettled by all of the information that appears in the prologue, and wasn't sure if I would continue. However, I am very glad I did. The plot was very well thought out and really interesting. There were not any page breaks or markers to acknowledge ...

SandraHan1:
This story is very descriptive, with vivid scenes from the very beginning, which made for a good scene setting. I love the symbolism in names, such as “Naysayers”, “Hadd”, etc . The story itself is revolutionary, intriguing, emotional and exciting. I was very pleased to see that there is a happy ...

Grapes Are Juicy yes!!!:
I give this novel FIVE STARS ! This novel is worth reading from the beginning to the end! The plot and conflicts in this story are very smartly integrated. The language facility is a little odd , but i guess this was done on purpose, given the novel's set era. Other than that, this should definit...

Alex Rushmer:
This was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot Malfoy was always one of the characters that I liked a lot, so I like that a lot of this happens between him and Colette. I read the first couple chapters, and I enjoyed your writing style and am excited to see where you take this story. My com...

Lauren Sanby:
This is an excellent story. Very gripping and keeps your attention throughout. Hoping the author is writing a sequel because I'd love to read more about Rhi and Andreas and find out what else Rhi is able to do with her powers.

Flik:
Hi! ^.^ huge fan of yours on ff.net! When I saw the note about this contest on The Way We Smile, I couldn't help but rush over here, create an account, and vote! XD Seriously love this story and would recommend it to anyone! :D best FT fanfiction out there. Amazing story, amazing concept that wa...

christylynnr5:
This was beyond amazing! I loved this book. The characters seemed so real. It was amazing how the author let Zak and Kaylees personalities slowly change. This story was very sad and eye opening. It could teach some people a very worthy lesson. It was a great combination of romance, mystery, and a...

daneliacapote116:
This was one of my favorites! When you start reading you want to continue I can't wait for the rest of the novel!! The characters where awesome! Everything was great. I encourage you to read this novel, your going to love it it and want to read it more and more !!

Jennifer Kane Martin:
I am a high school teacher, and the dialogue and inner thoughts are PERFECT. However, the lack of capitalization, punctuation, and the typos are distracting. Don't let these get in the way of a potentially good story.

Alex Rushmer:
Chapter One: Not much is happening in this chapter, but I was absolutely fascinated by the depth of your character development. I love how you just sat there with the reader and explored Eddward. Usually, that sort of thing gets boring very fast, but this was actually really cool! He's so unique ...

brettylee:
The narrative is slick yet punchy. Life, Family and Friends I believe is the core message so it’s easy to relate to. It’s surprisingly action packed. The author does a good job at keeping you guessing. Just when you think all is right, whack, the unexpected happens. The dialogue is energetic and ...

Marimar Amieva:
I just can't believe the story! I absolutely loved it, all of it. The characters and their chemistry between them, and the fact that they are relatable. The story also has some sick plot twists, which I never saw coming. I loved the fact that it is an adorable love story but has its mystery touc...

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